We’ve not had a catch up for ages. So shall we talk and rectify the situation ?

Grab yourself a coffee and get comfy…

Firstly a little update. It’s skin related. No surprise there then I hear you cry – I am bordering on obsessed. Most people chase the dream. I chase perfect skin.

So as you may, or may not be aware, for the last few weeks I have been using a couple of Pixi products. I can officially confirm that I am now a Pixi Glow Cleanser & Glow Tonic convert .

I did have my concerns. It’s one of those cult products everybody and their mother raves about (especially beauty bloggers) and you wonder whether it is really that good or are they all jumping on the Pixi band waggon?

It is that good.

The difference in my skin over the past few weeks is fairly evident. It’s clearer, I don’t suffer so many breakouts. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still too lumpy and bumpy for my liking but the spots I do get are few and far between and they appear to disappear quicker than the little blighters came.

A little tip I’ve found with the cleanser is to apply it to damp skin. Leave it a few minutes (time allowing) before adding just a tiny amount of water and then really working it into any areas of concern (chin, around nose) then remove with a steamy hot flannel. It leaves my skin feeling squeaky clean… and a little pink. I like that pink clean feeling.

Two great products which are not overly expensive – £18.50 each. Marks & Spencers’s have just started to stock Pixi (available at major stores) Like I need an excuse to shop?! Meadowhall is only a short drive away…Oh my poor bleeding heart…purse!

Combined with my twice weekly home peel courtesy of   No.7 – Youthful Peel  which I reviewed a few weeks ago (here) I’m rather pleased. Jobs a good un, fanny’s your aunt and all that.

While we are on skin (and its sort of related?) I discovered a lipstick yesterday which I had totally forgotten about. Mainly because its red and I don’t generally do red. My mum says I favour the ‘just been dug up‘ lip and has been trying to convert me to red / bronzes for ages. Apparently and according to the ‘book of mum’ (and she’s not often wrong) my face need’s livening up.

With all this in mind, and because I was busy doing nothing apart from procrastinating, I experimented with the red lip . And do you know what I’m kinda liking it. My hair is lighter than it used to be, with added blonde highlights. I look less ‘Elvis dons lippy’ than I have on my previous red lip attempts.

Meet ‘Sangers’ by Illmasqua  as featured on my instagram feed yesterday. A mat blood red shade / HERE
What do you recon? It actually looks brighter here than it does in ‘real life’  Please excuse the gormless expression.

Also worth a mention is Vesuvius liquid lipstick by Lipstick Queen which I picked up in TK Max at the weekend.

I actually picked up a set of 3 liquid lip-stick’s for £12.99. They retail at £22 each so it was somewhat of a bargain!

I received ‘Blush’, ‘Fuchsia’ and ‘Red’. A shade to cover all occasions . They are highly moisturising and extremely glossy. They make my lips look fuller, kissable even. All 3 colours are very wearable over lippy or alone.

Available at Space NY / HERE

I’ve been lusting over the Balmain x HM collaboration all week, which hits our shops on Nov 5th. If you follow me on Instagram I apologise. It’s getting boring I know, I know. I keep posting outfits that have caught my eye (which is practically all of them.)  I excitedly showed Dad (he humours me) the bejewelled coat / dress that Jenner Kendall has been spotted out and about in. He looked at me, not overly impressed, smirked and said I would stand out like a sore thumb at the local (pub).

Well yes, I can imagine the ‘pipe and slipper gang’ wouldn’t approve. Bit too ‘fancy’ for them … they are still recovering from my see-through-skin-tight-midi dress I wore in 1995.

I’ve hankered after a Balmain jacket for as long as I can remember. This could be the moment I get my hands on one? Though knowing my luck I’ll wake up on November 6th convinced I should have done something the day before!

So things are quite normal around the ‘Herring’ household at the moment… If you call 2 humans, 2 crazy cats and a dog called Mollie normal, that is?

I mostly feel like ‘Doctor bloody Doo-little’. The 3 of them follow me absolutely everywhere! I can’t even wee in peace. Me with my little trail of animals in toe…them tippy-towing behind sniffing each others bums.

On a last note, Mum and Dad have landed in Spain. Yay!!

What’s so good about that I hear you ask?

Well Mum’s been having a good old battle with cancer for the past few years. Amongst other things it has left her with only 1 kidney, and that one doesn’t work very well at all. Her specialist point-blank refused to let her travel abroad;  it was too ‘touch and go’, too risky. Then something of a miracle started to happen and mum’s kidney started to ‘heal itself’ . Her blood count, or whatever it is they monitor, is currently stable.

A few weeks ago the Specialist gave her consent to go away for 1 week only. The hotel and flights were booked in an instance. For somebody that went away maybe 3 or 4 times a year but who hasn’t been able too for the past 3 years.. it’s a biggy.

Cancer has taken alot away from my mum, including her confidence. She was anxious and convinced something bad would happen to stop her travelling. She never thought she’d step foot in Spain again and she loves it over there.

She cried when the plane landed in Malaga.

I cried when she told me.

Happy tears … ones that remind me that good things do happen to good people… just maybe not always as you planned…

Until next time, Tracey x